The Pennsylvania State Conference kicked off its 84th annual convention in Bethlehem, PA on Friday, October 25th 2018. The jam-packed weekend of events brought together NAACP members, supporter and friends in an effort to encourage active NAACP branches state-wide to take part in sessions conducted by NAACP national staff members and community leaders. No matter the event, it was clear that the focus was on civic engagement, and mobilizing attendees to vote in the midterms because their lives depend on it.
“We’ve had a number of informative workshops during this convention, one of them being how to protect the vote, “said Joan Duval Flynn, PA State Conference President.
The PA state conference is focusing on getting out the vote in a number of ways which include: teaching branches statewide various ways in which they can get the communities they serve to the polls, PSA’s on Radio One with an emphasis on young women between the ages of 18-35 and more.
“We are making a big push with half-way houses, local jails and correctional facilities to get the word out to our brothers and sisters returning home indeed franchised,” says Brandon Wood, PA State Conference Political Action Chair.
We also had a chance to celebrate our Youth & College members who have been working effortlessly on their respective campus to spread the mission of the NAACP. Temple University and Bloomsburg University were just some of the college chapters in attendance.
“Making a change in society starts with the youth inputting their voices into what’s going on in today’s society and going out to vote is a prime example,” said Anthony Marcus, Bloomsburg NAACP.
The Temple University NAACP Chapter, who also won organization of the year during their homecoming festivities expressed a similar standpoint.
“We are voting because we have the opportunity to vote who we want to see in office. We encourage you to vote on Nov 6th so get out and vote and encourage others to do the same, our lives depend on it,” said Alexandra Gordon 3RD Vice President of Temple NAACP.
